The volume contains correspondence and telegrams between the Foreign Office, His Majesty's Minister at Teheran, His Majesty's Consul at Geneva (in French), the Political Resident at Bushire and Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) representatives in regard to the settling of the dispute between Britain and Persia at the League of Nations, due to the cancellation of the 1901 D'Arcy Concession. Subjects also include the negotiations for a new concession with APOC and the definition of the territorial waters for the new concession area. The volume also includes newspaper cuttings on the subject, from
The Times.1 volume (180 folios)The documents in the volume are mostly arranged in chronological order. There are notes at the end of the volume, (folios 194-198). The file notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file; they give a brief description of the correspondence with reference numbers in red crayon, which refer back to that correspondence in the volume.The foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The numbering begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, 2-17; then 18 and 18A; 19-21; 22 and 22A; 23-133; 134 and 134A and carries on until 203, which is the last number given, on the inside of the back cover of the volume. Some of the folios have been paginated in error, which means that the following numbers are missing from the foliation sequence: f. 48; f. 50; f. 52; f. 54; f. 56; f. 58; f. 60; f. 62; f. 64; f. 72; f. 74; f. 76; f. 80; f. 82; f. 101; ff. 103-105; f. 107; f. 109; f. 111; f. 113; f. 115; f. 117; f. 119; f. 121; f. 123; f. 125; f. 132; f. 138; f. 144.
The file contains correspondence regarding a request from the Imperial Court of Persia for the recall of Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Dodd as British Military Attaché, due to a perceived slight by Dodd towards Reza Shah Pahlavi. The filealso covers an order from the Shah for Persian army officers to no longer socialise with Europeans. As well as Dodd, the primary correspondents are the Foreign Office and the British Legation, Tehran. Folios 105 and 113-116 are written in French.1 file (64 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear
to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 88, and terminates at f 152, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file concerns the proposed erection by Persian Government of wireless stations on the coasts of the Persian Gulf, at Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām] and Bushire.The file contains a document in French, an invitation to tender.The file contains correspondence between the British Legation at Tehran, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and Cable and Wireless Limited.1 file (19 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 21; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file concerns the business case to transfer the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf from Bushire to Bahrain.The file is composed of internal correspondence between British officials including the Foreign Office (C W Baxter), the British Legation at Tehran (Robert Henry Clive, Reginald Hervey Hoare), India Office officials (John Gilbert Laithwaite, John Charles Walton), the Political Residents in the Persian Gulf (Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Trenchard Craven William Fowle), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Foreign Department and the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, the British Consul at Basrah, HM Treasury, the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al Khalifah (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah).The correspondence relates specifically to the following:liaising with the Shaikh of Bahrainliaising with the Persian Foreign Ministerrumours that the Residency was to be moved to Darin Island [Tārūt Island, Saudi Arabia]preliminary arrangementsviews of the Government of India and the Foreign Office, that the transfer should happen immediatelyBiscoe's estimate of cost of transfer, discussion with the Treasuryestimated annual savings for telecommunications.There is correspondence in French, with the Persian Foreign Minister and a newspaper cutting from
Near East.1 volume (447 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 449; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio
The file concerns the reorganisation of telegraph communications in Iran after 1935.The file contains:Closure of Naval Station at Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām], Basidu [Bāsa‘īdū], and of British Cemetery and Henjam Wireless Station, 1935Negotiations with Cable and Wireless on their proposal to close of Henjam, Jask and Charbar [Chābahār] stations, 1935Minutes of Committee of Imperial Defence, Imperial Communications Committee meetings discussing telegraph communications in the Persian Gulf, 1935Desire of Persian Government to purchase wireless systems at Henjam, Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh], and Bushire, 1935-37Closure of wireless station at Bushire, 1936-37Renting of Cable and Wireless's building at Jask, 1936Repairs to cable ship at Jask, 1937.The file also contains, on folio 381, a map showing 'The Proposed Bahrein T Piece', illustrating an extension of cable communication connecting Bushire and Bahrain, 1935. There are some documents in French: a letter written by the British Legation at Tehran to the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs of the Government of Iran, and an extract from
Le Journal de Tehran.The file is composed of correspondence between: the Foreign Office; the India Office; the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf; the Secretary of State for India; the Admiralty; Cable and Wireless Limited; the Treasury; the British Legation at Tehran; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Iran.1 volume (531 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 533; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Reports submitted by British officials in Persia [Iran], along with newspaper cuttings from the British press, relating to construction work on the Trans-Persian Railway, intended to run from Bandar Shah [Bandar-e Torkaman] in the north of the country, to Bandar Shapur [Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni] at the head of the Persian Gulf. The papers focus on foreign and British investments and activity in the construction of the railway:Completion of construction of the line between Bandar Shah [Bandar-e Torkoman] and Aliabad by a German syndicate in 1931, and its handing over to the Persian Government.The appointment in 1933 of a Danish-Swedish syndicate,
Kampsax Aktieselskab, to undertake construction of the remaining north and south section of the Trans-Persian Railway.The purchase of British locomotives, manufactured by Beyer, Peacock & Co. by the Persian State Railway.Suspension of construction work on the southern section of the line in 1934, due to a lack of funds.Actions of the Persian Government to fund railway construction, including the French text of a supplementary budget law for the Iranian year 1314 (equivalent to the Gregorian year 1935) on folio 27.The opening of the Trans-Persian Railway (now referred to as the Trans-Iranian Railway) in 1938.A report from the Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department (Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay), dated 29 May 1940, referring to the line’s strategic significance in wartime (ff 4-5).The majority of the file’s correspondence is sent from the British Legation at Tehran (Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugessen; Nevile Montagu Butler; Horace James Seymour).1 file (70 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 71; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-70; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
Copies of correspondence exchanged between British officials (the Foreign Office, the Board of Trade, and the British Consulate at Sistan and Kain [Ka’īn]), and between Raymond Cecil Parr of the British Legation at Tehran, and the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mirza Mohamed Ali Khan Feroughi, concerning the imposition of taxes in Persia [Iran] upon certain imported goods, notably imported alcoholic products. Letters from Feroughi, along with details of the Persian Government’s new taxes, are in French.1 file (35 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 36; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-34; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
Correspondence relating to changes within the Persian Government: the appointment and dismissal of ministers by the Shah of Persia (Reza Shah Pahlavi); the resignation or death during duty of ministers; the reorganisation of governmental departments (both central and provincial) at the instigation of the Shah.Items of note in the file include:A text containing a number of articles concerning changes to addresses and titles in the Persian royal and government hierarchy. The text is undated and with no indication of author, but is presumably a translation from the French or Persian and dates to around 1935, being part of the Shah’s programme of modernisation of Persian society (ff 102-103).A translation of regulations relating to the reorganisation of the Persian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ff 80-89).The correspondence is chiefly sent by various officials at the British Legation in Tehran (Robert Henry Clive, Reginald Hervey Hoare, Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugessen, Victor Alexander Louis Mallet, Nevile Montagu Butler, Horace James Seymour). A small number of items in the file are in French.1 file (141 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 142; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-141; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
Copies of correspondence and other papers relating to British Government officials’ response to the deteriorating state of relations between the Persian Government and the Imperial Bank of Persia, in light of the Persian Government’s imposition of restraints upon the bank (such as monopoly laws, restrictions on foreign trade), seen as benefitting the new National bank of Iran (or Bank Melli Iran).The file’s key correspondents are: representatives of the Government of Persia, including the Persian Minister of Finance (Taqizadeh Hassan) and the Persian Foreign Minister (Mirza Mohamad Ali Khan Feroughi); representatives of the Imperial Bank of Persia (E Wilkinson, E M Eldrid, Ord Adams Butters); British Government officials in Persia (Robert Henry Clive, Charles Dodd, Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugesson). Some of the file’s papers are in French.1 file (122 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 123; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-122; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.
Papers concerning affairs on the northeast frontiers of Persia [Iran], with a focus on Iranian Azerbaijan, sent to and from British Government officials based in Persia, including those at the British Consulate at Tabriz and the British Embassy in Tehran, and the Foreign Office in London.The correspondence covers the following:Throughout the period June 1930 to July 1931 (ff 379-421), the situation on the Perso-Russian and Perso-Turkish borders, and relations in the region between Persia and Russia. These papers predominantly comprise reports from the British Consul at Tabriz (Clarence Edward Stanhope Palmer).During October and November 1932, calls to boycott the elections to the new Persian majlis by an organisation describing itself as the Nationalist Organisation of Azerbaijan (ff 368-378). Papers include a translation of a manifesto issued by the organisation (ff 369-370).In 1935, reports responding to rumours of civil unrest in Tabriz (ff 357-363).In 1938, deteriorating relations between Iran and Russia, partly in response to Russia’s unease at an increase in trade between Germany and Iran (ff 337-352).The political crisis brought about by the declaration of the Azerbaijan People’s Government in November 1945, and the ensuing Iran-Azerbaijan Crisis, which arose from Soviet Russia’s refusal to relinquish Iranian territory originally occupied by Russia during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941 (ff 4-336). Papers include a declaration (in French) made by the National Congress of Iranian Azerbaijan (ff 259-260), and the translated texts of programmes and laws announced by the Azerbaijan National Government (ff 207-209, f 92, ff 77-79, ff 61-63).1 file (421 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 422; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file is a direct chronological continuation of Coll 28/21 ‘Persia; Azerbaijan; Persia-Russian & Persia-Turkish Frontier.’ (IOR/L/PS/12/3417). It chiefly comprises copies of telegraphic correspondence exchanged between British officials in Tehran and Tabriz, and the Foreign Office in London, and covers events of the Iran-Azerbaijan crisis of 1946, and its immediate aftermath:Reports and eyewitness accounts of the withdrawal, in May 1946, of Russian troops from Tabriz and Iranian Azerbaijan, and the efforts of an Iranian Government delegation to verify the Russian evacuation.Negotiations between the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan (referred to as the Democrats), led by Ja’far Pishevari, and the Iranian (Central) Government, led by the Iranian Prime Minister, Ahmad Qavam, leading to an agreement on 13 June 1946 for the Iranian Azerbaijan Parliament to be changed to a Provincial Council (ff 278-279).From October 1946, amidst a deteriorating political situation, and in the run up to December elections, preparations in Iranian Azerbaijan for armed resistance against Iran.From 10 December 1946, reports of Iranian troops launching attacks in Iranian Azerbaijan, prior to their arrival in Tabriz on 13 December 1946 (f 156, f 115).Discussion amongst British officials over their role in supporting the Iranian Government, with support from British (and US) officials being declared on 10 December 1946, immediately after the Iranian Government’s military action against Iranian Azerbaijan had been confirmed.Continuing reports of violence in Iranian Azerbaijan and the Mahabad District of Iran, including the arrest, imprisonment, and killing of individuals associated with the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan.A secret report on a tour of Iranian Azerbaijan, made by the Assistant British Military Attaché, 6-15 April 1947 (ff 25-40).1 file (377 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 378; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Correspondence, newspaper cuttings, treaties and other papers, reporting on commercial relations between Persia [Iran] and Russia. The papers cover: a deterioration in relations between Persia and Russia in 1932-33, culminating in the ban on Russian imports into Persia; the Persian Government’s Foreign Trade Monopoly Act of 1933 (ff 218-223); the Irano-Soviet Treaty of Establishment, Commerce and Navigation, agreed between the two nations in 1935; a copy of the treaty in French (ff 101-106); a further printed copy of the treaty in French and Russian (ff 42-85); the termination of the 1935 treaty in 1938; the agreement of a new Treaty of Commerce and Navigation in 1940, created in response to events in the Second World War (ff 3-7).The file’s principal correspondents are: HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, Reginald Hervey Hoare, Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull Hugesson, Horace James Seymour; the British Chargé d’Affaires at Tehran, Victor Alexander Louis Mallet; the Commercial Secretary at the British Legation in Tehran, Sydney Simmonds; HM’s Ambassador to Russia, the Viscount Chilston, Aretas Akers-Douglas; Noel Hughes Havelock Charles of the British Embassy in Moscow.The file includes several items in French, being newspaper cuttings and texts from the Persian newspapers
Le Messager de Teheranand
Le Journal de Tehran.1 file (239 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 240; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.